Buried Hearts
by DragonBow
Summary: Incomplete, but will no longer be updated. See last 'chapter' of Guardian for more info.
1. Settling In

Hello everyone out there in Mediaminer and This is a fanfiction written by user DragonBow, and Mediaminer user KuramaIs4Me. We're working together on this fanfiction, and it has been posted on both systems. Thank you everyone for reading, we love you all! ::huggles::

The small red car flew down the deserted forest road, dirt flying in its path. Shizuru was at the wheel, her window half-open as she took a drag off of the cigarette in her mouth, tipping some ashes out of the car. Kuwabara gave her a paranoid glance from the back, middle seat, fingers curling around his sister's shoulder as he begged her to keep both hands on the wheel while she was driving at such high speeds.

"Leave me alone, Little Brother, I know what I'm doing!" she snapped, batting his hand away after she drew her cigarette back into the car. When she returned her eyes to the road, she had to swerve to the left to keep from veering off into the trees.

Keiko gripped Yusuke's hand tighter as she squeezed her eyes closed. Even though he tried to put up a brave front, Yusuke, too, was horrified by Shizuru's driving. He was sharing the left passenger seat with Keiko, and he felt her press closer against him. "Kuwabara, your sister drives like a maniac!" he grated, his teeth clenched as he fought not to let out any sign of fear.

"Hey, just be thankful you all got a ride in the first place," she retorted, flicking her cigarette in Yusuke's direction. "I only did this as a favor to you all because we didn't all get killed on that island."

Kurama had a death-grip on the strap of his seatbelt that draped over his chest, staring around Shizuru's headrest out at the road in front of him. He was thankful for the fact that there were no turns up ahead on the road to Genkai's temple, and the youko thought that he could spot the building off towards the end of the path. That beacon of hope would mean an end to this horrifying ordeal...

Hiei was perhaps the worst off of them all. He had pressed himself back as far as he could into the corner where his seat met the door, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the cushion below him. This was his first time in a car, and as far as he was concerned, it was his last. He would have easily made his way to Genkai's on his own, but he had been persuaded to join the car ride instead. That was where the youkai had made his mistake.

Kuwabara glanced over at the small fire demon, an almost amused smirk on his face as he watched him. "You look like you're having fun, Hiei."

Hiei's blood-red eyes narrowed venomously at Kuwabara, gripping the seat under him even tighter —if that was even possible. His voice was low and biting. "If I hear another word slip out of your mouth, I **swear** that you'll suffer dearly for it once this **horrible **human contraption stops moving!" His anger was so immense that a dark aura seemed to swirl about him, making Kuwabara sweatdrop and scoot slightly closer to Kurama.

Kurama glanced over at the orange-haired human as he felt him bump into his side, seeing the look of utter hatred on Hiei's face. He sweatdropped as well. "It would be best to leave him alone right now, Kuwabara," he muttered quietly. "You shouldn't be teasing him at all anyway, not with the way your sister drives."

Kuwabara muttered incoherently under his breath, crossing his arms and staring back out at the road from between the two front seats. They were much closer now, and they could see clearly now the entrance to Genkai's temple. As soon they each caught sight of the building, they could not help but utter a small sigh of relief and a muttered prayer of thanks to Kami-sama.

The red car soon began to skid to a halt, and before it had fully stopped, doors flew open and the occupants leapt out, gripping duffel bags in their hands; even Hiei, who had been informed that he would need to bring extra clothes. Kuwabara had given him the bag itself, having not had one of his own. Yusuke actually kissed the ground in relief. Keiko, though equally relieved, gave him a kick in the side. Without another word, Shizuru pealed out, heading back down the road in such a manner that made everyone present glad that they were no longer her passengers.

"Get up, Yusuke!" she snapped, her voice still a bit shaky. "Don't make a fool of yourself!"

Kuwabara grinned, running his thumb along his nose. "Nah, don't worry about him, Keiko; he does that all of the time."

Yusuke leapt to his feet, glaring up at the orange-haired boy with one eyebrow raised. "Oh yeah? Nice thing to say, coming from the kid who keeps getting laid low by **my** fist!"

"Shaddup Urameshi!" he retorted, turning his back on him and stomping up the long, steep stairway up to Genkai's temple. Yusuke grinned, taking Keiko's hand and following Kuwabara up the stairs.

Kurama hid a small laugh behind his hand, smiling as he watched them. "They're back to normal fast, aren't they, Hiei?" He turned his head to look over at the youkai.

"Hn," he replied simply, arms crossed as he looked away, a sweatdrop on the side of his head as he glanced around uncertainly, obviously unnerved by the whole ordeal.

Kurama continued to smile. "That's your response to everything," he said, taking a few steps over to him.

Hiei gave him an uneasy look, disappearing in a black blur and appearing in the limbs of a nearby tree, leaving his bag on the ground. "I'm going to go survey the area," he said shortly, vanishing again.

The smile slowly faded from the youko's face, picking up the extra bag as he turned to the stairs he could still see the others climbing. "Oh well," he muttered, walking towards them. "I guess I shouldn't expect too much from him."

Genkai watched them approach from the doorway to the temple, her hands clasped behind her back as she viewed them with a critical eye. Kuwabara and Keiko seemed thoroughly winded from the climb, Yusuke perhaps just a touch out of breath, while Kurama seemed perfectly fine with the exercise. She smiled inwardly; only to be expected, she assumed. Though she noticed that one party was missing; the demon, Hiei. But again, she though to herself, that was only to be expected.

"So, you're all finally here," she said as the assembled on her doorstep. She gave a small smile to Yusuke. "Even the dimwit."

Yusuke grinned back. "Yeah, love you too, you old hag."

Genkai let out a small chuckle. "Right, so you'll be spending your summer here training," she said, turning to Keiko. "Except you, of course. You can help keep the temple clean, cook and other such chores. Yukina will need extra help with five more people to feed. Your assistance will be appreciated, I'm sure." She gave Kuwabara and Yusuke approving looks. "At least it better," she added.

Kuwabara nodded dumbly, his eyes having gained an extra glint after hearing Yukina's name. One of the main reasons he was here for training in the first place was because of her lovely presence. And, of course, for the training itself.

"So, you'll all be needing rooms, and Yukina and I have prepared them." She looked at Kurama. "I wasn't sure, however, whether Hiei would be needing a room." Kurama noticed a tiny, knowing grin playing around her eyes, along with a glance at the second bag in his hands.

The youko tried his best to ignore this remark, but he couldn't help the slight red tinge that showed on his face. "He usually sleeps outside," he answered, which was true; Hiei did usually sleep in trees. "So I don't think he will need a room. You may want to ask him yourself when you see him."

"Right," she answered, giving him one last look before turning to the others.

Kurama sweatdropped. He had to be thankful, however, that she seemed to be the only one who had noticed anything... out of the ordinary.

Yukina appeared from the door behind Genkai, bowing slightly to all of those present once her familiar, red eyes fell upon them. "I placed the names on the doors as you requested, Genkai-sensei," she said quietly, rising from her bow and giving all of them bright smiles, her eyes lingering on Kuwabara for a moment longer than the others.

Kuwabara grinned back, scratching the back of his head.

Yukina seemed to count their numbers in her head, and her smile faltered as she noticed one was missing; Hiei. Kurama picked up on this quickly enough.

"Hiei is here, Yukina, but he just went off to check out the surroundings. He likes to know the area before he deals with 'pleasantries'. Old habits die hard, I suppose," he said.

Yukina's smile returned quickly enough, nodding. "Oh, alright! I was really looking forward to seeing all of you again."

Genkai turned to her, taking a step backwards so that she stood at her side. "Why don't you show them where their rooms are, Yukina, so that they can get settled in?"

Kurama closed the door behind him, tossing his bag onto the bed and Hiei's into a chair. He assumed that the youkai would leave it in his care, seeing as how he would be most likely sleeping in a tree nearby. He walked over to the bed, glancing at the closet —which was open and contained a few hangers— as he unzipped his bag and began to pull out his clothes. He put them in the closet as he saw fit and shut the doors, glancing around at the traditional-style Japanese room. Well, traditional all except for the modern bed. He glanced at the now empty duffel bag and picked it up, re-opening the closet and tossing it onto the floor inside.

Kurama ran his fingers through his bright red hair. "Well, I suppose I'm done with that," he murmured. "The others are probably still settling in."

_Maybe I should go look for Hiei_, he thought to himself.

Kurama heard a quiet sneeze, and he turned to the glass-less window, seeing the aforementioned youkai standing in the tree outside his second-story room. He let out a small laugh, smiling at Hiei and walking over to the windowsill. The fire demon leapt to his window, standing on the sill, perhaps an inch or two taller than Kurama from that position.

"So, this is your room?" Hiei asked him nonchalantly.

"No, it's Yusuke's," he replied, a slight sarcastic lilt in his voice. "You shouldn't ask obvious questions, Hiei, it really doesn't become you."

Hiei shot him a glare, but did not respond to his comment. "I'll be sleeping in the tree outside, since you have my clothes in here," he said.

"Well I'm glad," Kurama said. "I was hoping you would be nearby."

Hiei looked away, an uncomfortable look on his face. "I wouldn't be too far away. I know—"

Kurama cut him off, his fingers curling around the fabric of his black cloak and pulling his face down into a crushing kiss. Hiei's eyes were wide, surprise his first reaction, but he slowly eased into the kiss, his eyes closing as he relaxed. The youko released the front of his clothing, curling his arms behind the fire demon's neck, fingers toying with the nape of his neck. Hiei raised his hands, placing them on Kurama's shoulders as he leaned forward. Kurama pressed more firmly against him, drawing him closer as he parted his lips, waiting for the youkai to do the same. He did, readily, now that he had began to return the kiss Kurama had pulled him into; quite literally.

Hiei was still awkward with these sudden bursts of emotion and affection from Kurama, but once initiated, he settled into them easily and gave as easily as he received.

The youkai could feel Kurama's tongue in his mouth, and he, too, began this slight battle that seemed to be waged. He could almost feel him smile against his lips at his readiness to fight back, which only made Hiei try harder. He tried not only to show Kurama that he would not let him win without a fight, but because he did not want this to end; this affection he so rarely received. It had been only recently that the youko had expressed his feelings for him, and it had been awkward at first —and still was— for Hiei to take these feelings and try to return them in some way that he and Kurama could understand. More often than not, he did not understand the feelings he felt in his own heart when it came to the youko. He had never felt those emotions before, and had never had them given to him so readily.

Kurama pulled away from Hiei, taking in a shaky breath as he slowly opened his dazzling emerald eyes. He watched the youkai as his eyelids crept open, blood-red peering back at him, a slight haze over his eyes as though coming out of some wonderful dream that he did not want to wake up from.

"You don't have to sleep outside, Hiei," Kurama murmured, taking one hand from behind his neck and running his fingers down his cheek.

Hiei looked away, a slight shiver running up his spine at his touch. "The risk of being discovered runs to high that way, Kurama, you know that."

Kurama frowned, drawing him down gently from the windowsill with a tug on his wrist as he curled his other hand around his forearm. "I don't see why you should sleep outside when there are plenty of rooms, at least."

Hiei came obediently from the window, loosing all extra height and becoming much shorter than Kurama once again. "You know why, you just don't want to accept it," he said. "Don't be selfish."

Kurama's frown deepened, and he released Hiei, moving to sit on the edge of his bed. "I'm not being selfish..." he said, looking away as a slight red hue rose on the bridge of his nose.

"Hn."

Kurama looked back at him. "Okay, maybe a little... But, Hiei..."

"The others will find out."

"How could they? They won't."

"Kuwabara doesn't respect privacy; what would happen if we were asleep, and he just came barging in. What then?" Hiei watched Kurama carefully his eyes fixed upon the youkai's.

Kurama let out a defeated sigh. "Fine," he breathed, letting his eyes fall to the floor at Hiei's feet, looking the pure image of pathetic.

Hiei's steel resolve faltered slightly, and he glanced away from him quickly. "Stop it."

Kurama let out another sad sigh.

Hiei flushed slightly, eyes wandering uncertainly around the wall. "Kurama, I should sleep outside. You know it as well as I do. Aren't you usually the one who thinks of these things?"

"I'm just being like you said; selfish," he replied, his face still tilted towards the ground, though his eyes were raised to watch Hiei.

"Hn."

"But if you want me to stop bothering you with it, I will. You can sleep wherever you want, Hiei." He paused, a small, wicked smile curving on his lips. "**Wherever**," he repeated with emphasis.

Hiei flushed. "Hn," he grunted.

Kurama snickered quietly to himself, but he leapt to his feet at a sudden bang on his door. "KURAMA!!! ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

The youko's eyes widened, and he looked at Hiei, and then at the door. Hiei, too, looked thunderstruck, and seemed rooted to the floor. "_Hide!_" Kurama hissed, placing a hand on Hiei's head and shoving him down to the floor, pointing under the bed.

The youkai scrambled under the bed, huddling under the frame as he peered at the bottom of the door. Kurama tried to quickly regain his composure, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve and glancing around the room to see if anything looked suspicious. After passing his two-second inspection, he turned to the door.

"What is it, Kuwabara?" he called, walking to the other side of the bed farther from the window.

Kuwabara opened the door walking inside and glancing around. Kurama sweatdropped. "I didn't say you could come in," he muttered.

"Eh?" Kuwabara gave him a puzzled expression. "Well, it's not like you were doing anything in here that would need me to knock. But I did anyway."

Kurama let out a low sigh. "Yes, I know..." He ran his fingers through his hair for a moment. "What is it that you need, Kuwabara?"

"Oh!" he said, as though remembering that he had invaded Kurama's room for a reason. Most likely he had forgotten for a moment. "Right, there aren't any blankets in my room, and Yukina said that there should be some in your room."

The youko tried his best not to look frustrated. _Interrupted because of **blankets**?! _His eye twitched ever-so-slightly. "I didn't see any, Kuwabara," he replied.

"Oh, well, let me check," he said, walking over to the closet and opening it, looking on the floor and on the shelf above Kurama's clothes. There were none there.

"You see? Nothing there, Kuwabara. I would like to point out that I am rather observant..." he said.

The orange-haired human turned, looking at the bed for a moment. "Did you check under the bed?"

Had Kuwabara been a more observant person, he would have noticed Kurama's eyes widen slightly and his face become a more pale shade. However, he didn't notice, and walked over to the bed, crouching down beside it and reaching under it, groping around for any sign of blankets. Kurama sweatdropped, praying silently that Hiei wasn't discovered.

Hiei glared at Kuwabara's hand, creeping away from it and avoiding the limb like the plague. In a sudden thought, he emerged from the other side of the bed, standing there, trying to look like he had no idea what Kuwabara was doing. Kurama stared at him, eyes widening as he began to shake his head. Hiei met his eyes, giving him a look that said 'stop doing that, I know what to do.' When Kuwabara drew his hand back, empty-handed, he stood and saw Hiei, standing there as if he had just entered the room.

"What were you doing? Trying to find some monster under the bed, Kuwabara?" Hiei asked, his eyes narrowing with annoyance, eye twitching.

"No, I was looking for blankets," he grumbled. "How the hell'd you get in here, Shorty?"

Hiei jerked his thumb at the window.

Kuwabara looked at the window, and then back at Hiei. "Yeah, I guess you're short enough to fit through that," he said, dismissing it.

The youkai's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his hand into a fist.

"You can go now, Kuwabara. There aren't any blankets in here," Kurama said, reminding him of his initial task.

"Oh, right," he muttered, turning and walking out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind him.

Kurama walked up to it and slid the door shut, letting out a heavy sigh. "That was too close for comfort."

"I told you it was risky," Hiei replied.

Kurama grinned, but when he turned around, Hiei was gone. His grin turned into a frown. "I really hate it when he does that."

And that would be the end of Chapter One! ::dances:: So, if you love us, r/r, and leave us with happy notes about how much you love us! Otherwise, we may not write anymore o.O... And no one wants that!

DragonBow & KuramaIs4Me


	2. Powdered Salmon and A Sakura Tree

Kurama didn't see Hiei for the rest of the day. But, he didn't look for him either. They had both been taken off guard by Kuwabara's sudden entrance, and it only showed them how easily their secret could be discovered. Kurama could not be selfish when it came down to it, and Hiei was more than happy to prove that he had been right. The youko grumbled under his breath, laying back on his bed with his hands behind his head. He guessed the youkai would show up sooner or later, so he had better not press the matter. Like he had said before, Hiei was very hard to find when he did not want to be found.

As he stared at the ceiling, Kurama heard Yukina's voice down the hall, along with a knocking on someone else's door. He heard a muffled response from the occupant of the room —Yusuke— and heard the door open and shut. Kurama sat up in bed, walking over to his door and poking his head out into the hallway. The ice apparition was knocking on Kuwabara's door now, and she turned as she heard Kurama's door open.

"We're going to get dinner ready, and Genkai-sensei wanted everyone down in the kitchen," she told him, watching him nod before turning to a groggy-looking Kuwabara.

Kurama made his way down to the kitchen, seeing Yusuke, Keiko, Genkai, and Hiei already assembled. Hiei met his eyes for a moment, but then looked away after a moment's hesitation.

"So, we're only waiting for Kuwabara and Yukina, then," Genkai said. She looked over Kurama's shoulder to see the aforementioned coming down the stairs. "Ah, never mind."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "What exactly are we doing down here, Grandma?" he asked.

"We're going to get food prepared. There are seven of us now in this house, and one person alone cannot make food enough for all of us, at least not without a lot of work to handle alone on their shoulders. So we're going to see if any of you boys are any good at something other then beating people up," she said.

"I don't want to eat anything Yusuke makes," Keiko said immediately, poking the Spirit Detective in the ribs. "I doubt it will come out good. Or even as **food** for that matter..."

Yusuke frowned at her. "I doubt you should eat at all; your ass is getting too fat."

Keiko flushed, and she smacked him across the face, leaving a hand-shaped mark on his cheek. "Yusuke, you jerk!"

Kurama chuckled quietly to himself, hiding a smile behind his hand as Hiei rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath and looking away.

"Dimwit! Leave her alone and pay attention!" Genkai snapped, glaring daggers at him.

Yusuke flinched, rubbing his cheek as he fell silent.

"Anyway, now that the **dimwit** is done interrupting—"she glared at Yusuke again, making him take a step behind Keiko "—I can continue. We have more than enough raw food for everyone, but the task is getting it prepared and edible. Because I'm afraid of what you'll do to this kitchen, I'll be sitting outside." She looked at Keiko and Yukina. "I'll be counting on the both of you to keep an eye on **them**," she said, jerking her thumb at the boys.

Keiko and Yukina giggled and nodded, watching Genkai leave the room, shaking her head.

The pair already knew what was in the kitchen, and what was to be prepared, so they told the boys this information and began to set to work, turning on a gas stove and bringing out pots, pans, and other various kitchen items, most the boys had never seen before.

"So, we just have to cook these things, right?" Kuwabara asked, looking at the raw ingredients. He was most likely a sheltered, ignorant child who had never seen food until after it was prepared.

"To put it simply, yes," Keiko said, picking up a chef's knife and taking it to a row of carrots.

Hiei rolled his eyes, reaching out and taking hold of a skinny salmon, making a perplexed face when it went limp in his hands. "Well this can't be too difficult," he muttered. "Why bother with the stove anyway, when it's so much easier—"

Kurama moved to stop him from making the inevitable horrible mistake, but he didn't move fast enough.

"—this way," he finished, flame erupting from his hand and turning the once-limp fish into a bent piece of charcoal. It dissipated into a small cloud of black powder, which drifted lazily to the floor. Hiei watched it, blinking a few times, not knowing what it was that he did wrong.

"Your fire is too strong to cook it, Hiei," Kurama said with a sigh. "You just..." he let out a small laugh. "Killed it even more..."

Upon seeing the incident, Keiko charged over to Hiei, still wielding her chef's knife, her eyes narrowing. "We don't need you setting all of the food on fire, Hiei!" she snapped. She slapped the knife on a table and turned him around, shoving him out of the door with a puzzled look on his face, not really struggling to stay in the kitchen. "Now stay out!" she shouted, slamming the door behind him. Hiei sweatdropped.

"Pointless nonsense," he grumbled, walking away from the door and outside where he could sense Genkai's aura. "Shouldn't have been in there in the first place."

Genkai turned as the door opened, and the youkai was met with a puzzled expression. "So, you were the first victim? Shame, I was expecting it to be Kuwabara," she said with a sigh. Then, hearing the door creak again, she peered around Hiei, seeing the aforementioned stalk outside with his hands rammed into his pockets. "Well, not to be disappointed, I guess."

"I'm not **that** useless," Kuwabara grumbled, staring at his feet as he rubbed at the ground with them.

"Hn," Hiei grunted, deciding against a biting remark. He wasn't one to talk at that moment; he had turned a salmon into dust... "Admit it, Kuwabara, neither one of us is useful when it comes to cooking."

On a reflex, Kuwabara seized up his shoulders and stood up straight, glaring down at Hiei. "Spea—"Kuwabara paused, and quickly deflated. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

The next to come out from the doorway was Yusuke, brushing some flower off of the front of his shirt. He may have lasted longer than his teammates, but he still ended up out on the porch with Genkai. Kurama and the girls were busy inside cooking for everyone. Then, after another ten minutes, the youko stepped outside.

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at him, eyes widening in surprise. "**You** got kicked out?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama shook his head, unrolling his sleeves. "No, I helped make some bread, but I didn't know what to do after that, so instead of blindly trudging forward—"a slight smile rose to his lips "—I admitted defeat and decided to come outside."

"At least one of you decided to use their brains," Genkai snapped, looking at Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei in turn. The first two looked a little ashamed, and perhaps a little uncomfortable, while Hiei let out a little "Hn," in reply.

The woman turned to Kurama. "Do you know when the food will be ready?"

"The girls said in about an hour."

"All right, the lot of you can go do whatever your little hearts may desire for the next hour, but be ready to come for food. This is your last meal before training tomorrow morning, not to mention the last night for some time that you'll be able to relax, so make the most of it," she told them eyeing each one of them in turn. "So I mean get plenty of sleep."

Kurama looked away from Genkai, a slight flush creeping to his face. He had been thinking of something other than rest, and she seemed to make her comment pointedly at him.

Yusuke and Kuwabara muttered something to each other about going to go play cards, walking off towards the sitting room. Kurama turned to Hiei, just in time to meet his eyes before the youkai disappeared in a black blur. He let out a low sigh; even though he might be accustomed to Hiei disappearing all of the time, it didn't mean he had to like not being able to walk with him instead of running into him when the youkai deemed it suitable.

"Don't take it personally," Genkai muttered, turning and walking off after the two boys, perhaps to play cards as well, though highly doubtful.

Kurama had a sneaking suspicion that she knew a lot more than she let on, but decided to leave it be; he could trust her not to tell the others.

He began to go back inside, but was interrupted by a hand on his arm. Kurama glanced over his shoulder, glad to see Hiei peering back up at him. "I thought you left."

"I went up to the roof for a moment to wait for the others to go inside," he replied, taking his hand away from the youko. "I didn't want to seem suspicious."

Smiling, glad that Hiei seemed to be putting a bit more effort into this strange relationship, he bent down and slipped one hand behind the youkai's neck, moving to kiss him. He stepped away.

"Not here," Hiei said quietly, glancing towards the temple. "What if one of them came outside?"

Kurama straightened with a small sigh, but did not protest. "All right, I see your point."

Hiei touched his arm again. "Come on, I want to show you something," he said, starting to walk towards the forest.

Kurama obliged, walking alongside him. "It's much nicer actually being able to walk with you, Hiei," he said after a moment, now halfway to the line of trees. "You disappear rather often."

"Hn," Hiei grunted looking away for a moment. "If it bothers you that much... then perhaps I will stop doing that so often."

Kurama smiled. He was starting to break down the walls Hiei had set up around his heart, or at least was managing a small passage that he alone could pass through. A few months ago, Hiei would have never been this ready to change; at least not for someone else. His heart had been buried deep inside of his chest, and the youko was beginning to dig it up, letting a small bit of light finally reach it.

"Thank you, Hiei," Kurama said gently, and as they passed into the forest, he reached out and took Hiei's hand, intertwining their fingers.

Slightly surprised at first, the youkai looked down at their joined hands, and curled his slack digits around Kurama's. He had seen Yusuke and Keiko hold hands, not to mention a great number of human couples, and some demon ones as well, but he had never done this before. He had not had a hand to hold as a child, nor the hand of a mate to hold as a mature demon; until now. It felt as though tiny wings were fluttering inside of his chest; a queer feeling that was both awkward, yet pleasant at the same time.

"So where are we going?" Kurama asked, curious.

The words drew Hiei out of his daze, and his eyes refocused. He looked ahead of them to make sure they were headed in the right direction. "You'll see," he said, a small tease of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he glanced up at Kurama.

They walked for a few more minutes, traveling a short distance into the forest, enough so that they could not see Genaki's temple through the gaps in the trees any longer. Soon, they came upon a break in the trees, and Hiei led the youko out into a small meadow. Sprigs of flowers bloomed up among the grass, along with a sakura tree rooted in the center of the circular glen. The pink blossoms littered the grass around the tree, filling the air with a sweet scent. A smile lit up Kurama's face as he gazed about, releasing Hiei's hand and walking up to the sakura tree. He placed his palm against the smooth wood, looking around him at the flowers. The youko turned back to look at the fire demon, smiling even brighter then before.

"Hiei, how did you...? You've never done anything like this before," he said, his face expressing his pleased surprise.

"I found this place while I was surveying the area. I thought that you would enjoy it," Hiei said, glancing away awkwardly.

Kurama stepped away from the sakura tree, walking up to the youkai. He bent down, curling his hands around the back of his neck and pulling Hiei's face towards his own. He did not crush against him, but tenderly brushed his lips against his, kissing him gently. Hiei could feel far more affection in this kiss than he had from their earlier encounter, and he felt any awkwardness melt away as he wrapped his arms around Kurama's neck, pulling himself closer. He might have been able to express his emotions this way, but he stumbled over the words that Kurama seemed to want from him. He had hoped that taking the youko to this place he had found had expressed something that he could not form into words; something that he wasn't sure how to act upon or deal with.

Kurama pulled Hiei back onto the grass, laying back on the ground, the youkai on top of him. He was straddling the youko, and when he pulled back from the tender kiss, his face was flushed as he looked down at Kurama.

"Thank you so much, Hiei. This means so much to me that you showed me this place," he murmured, pushing his torso up with his arms stretched behind him.

"I was hoping that you would like it," Hiei said. Even though his face was red, this time he did not look away. Noticing this, Kurama's smile brightened even more.

"Yes, very much so."

The youkai looked down at Kurama, his blood-red eyes meeting shining emerald ones. They just watched each other for a moment, until Hiei had to look away. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, resting a hand against the youko's chest.

"I was just waiting," he replied.

"Waiting? For what?" he asked, looking back at Kurama.

"For you to do something."

"I don't know what you mean, Kurama."

"Kiss me," he said, staring at Hiei with his beautiful green eyes; eyes that made Hiei's heart pound as he looked at them.

"What?"

"Kiss me," he repeated. "You still haven't kissed me, Hiei."

"Yes I have," Hiei said, frowning. "What would you call what happened just a moment ago?"

"No, I mean..." Kurama paused. "I have kissed you, and you have kissed back. But you haven't kissed me. What I'm trying to say is, is that I want you to start the kiss." A slight flush rose to his cheeks, mirrored on Hiei's face as well.

"W-what?" the youkai stuttered, his eyes widening. "You want me to-? Kurama, I-" Hiei shook his head, leaning to slide off of Kurama. He felt overwhelmed and dizzy, and he shook his head again, as though to clear it.

Shifting to one side to place his weight on one arm, Kurama reached out and grasped Hiei's wrist, meeting his blood-red eyes as the fire demon turned to look back at him. "Is it such a difficult request?"

Hiei met those emerald eyes once again, and forced himself to settle down once more on Kurama's stomach. "I don't understand why you want me to do this," Hiei muttered, frustrated and embarrassed.

Kurama had to remember exactly what was going on with Hiei at that point, and looked away, a small sigh escaping his lips.

Hiei looked sown at Kurama, his eyes narrowing at the sound of his sigh. The youkai rose to his feet, the red-head reaching up to latch onto his wrist again, a puzzled look on his face as Hiei jerked his hand away.

"Hiei—?"

"Why are you expecting so much from me?!" he demanded, watching Kurama rise to his feet, fists clenched at his sides as he took a step back towards the sakura tree. "You think that I'll be able to react the way you want me to, and that I'll know what you want me to do. I don't, Kurama! I don't understand!" His voice sounded desperate as he shouted at the youko. "I don't understand any of this; I don't even know myself anymore!"

Kurama approached Hiei, who had his back to the sakura tree. He wound his fingers in the front of his black clothing, lifting him from the ground and pressing his back against the tree. He kissed him, forcing his lips apart as he slipped his tongue into the youkai's mouth. Hiei tried to fight it at first —trying to get away— but he soon became lost in the kiss, surrounded by Kurama's affection and passion. When the youko pulled away —still holding Hiei against the tree— the fire demon was panting.

"Did you understand that?" Kurama breathed, emerald eyes fixing on crimson, not with anger or frustration, but with hope.

"Yes," he replied quietly. "I understand."

"I want to make sure that you understand how I feel about you, Hiei. I care very deeply for you, and I hope you feel the same," he murmured, lowering him back to the ground.

Hiei looked away. "I don't know how I feel."

"Do you enjoy being with me?" Kurama coaxed.

"Yes."

"Do you like my arms around you?" he asked, slipping his arms behind him.

"Yes..."

Kurama lowered his face so that it was even with Hiei's, and the youkai could feel his breath on his lips. "And what about kissing you?"

Instead of allowing Hiei to answer, Kurama kissed him; a light feathery kiss that made Hiei yearn for more. When they parted, their eyes met; scanning shades of emerald. After that brief moment, the youkai pressed their lips together, making Kurama smile against his mouth. After deepening their kiss and then finally parting, Hiei smirked at the dazed look on the youko's face.

"Happy?" Hiei asked, licking his lips.

"Yes," Kurama replied, pulling the youkai into an embrace. "I'll help you learn to love, Hiei, I promise."

Hiei stared over the shoulder his chin rested upon, glancing at Kurama's red hair as he placed a hand on the youko's back. His bandaged arm remained hanging at his side. Crimson eyes carrying a deep sadness, Hiei only knew that he did not want to disappoint Kurama, but knew that he had never loved, nor had been loved, until now. He did not know if he was capable of returning the emotions that the youko was offering him, but he did know that he had to try —for his sake.

When Kurama pulled away from him, Hiei banished the sadness from his face, and replaced his expression with his usual one of casual nonchalance.

Kurama smiled. "You're very high maintenance, you know that?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

The youko laughed, patting his shoulder. "I'm just kidding, Hiei! No need to give me that sour look!"

"Hn," he grunted, frowning at him and walking past him.

"Oh, Hiei!" Kurama said, following him. "I was kidding!"

Hiei ignored him, though the youko couldn't see the small smile on his face.

"Hiei, I take it back! It was a joke!"


End file.
